I Lied
by Belles7
Summary: Finally, a solo mission and Sakura's stuck in Konoha doing paperwork in the ANBU captain's office? What kind of a mission is this? Who knew that one week working in the same room with him could lead to her finding out his most precious secret. A secret he lied about, publicly.
1. Chapter 1

**I Lied**

* * *

**_* _Chapter 1: New Mission **

**_NORMAL POV:_**

* * *

A brunette donning a black knee-length skirt, a white blouse, and heels hastily recorded the rare information that came right out of Uchiha Itachi's mouth. Yep_, the _Uchiha Itachi, Konoha's top ANBU captain and Uchiha heir, actually cooperated with _Daily Shinobi. _

He was actually responding to a list of interview questions. The brunette began asking her questions.

"What is your favorite color, Uchiha-san?"

"Black." She nodded. Of course, it'd be black. He was so stunning in black, so sexy.

"I've heard that you have a certain like for sweets? Would you please confirm that?" It would be nice if women knew what you liked, especially for Valentine's Day or Christmas. Or, just someday when we confess our undying love for you.

"I have a mutual taste for sweets; however, I wouldn't say that I _love_ sweets. So, wherever or whoever told you such information is incorrect." It must have been Shisui; he'd hunt that fool later. Torment him with Tsukiyomi.

The lady nodded, shifting her legs. Damn the heels, but she needed to look professional and stunning simultaneously. The pencil scraped against the paper loudly. Professional pretty much? More like eager.

"Where do you like to go during your free time? Of course, when you're not on missions or doing other various work, Uchiha-san?" The lady smiled, batting her eyelashes. In other words, where can we pester you and hopefully, seduce you?

"I like traveling outside of Konoha." He stared, analyzing, the interrogator. When in pursuit by your enemies, lead them away from you…even if you must lie.

She looked taken aback and then, joked meekly, "Well, looks like the ladies in Konoha will have to start traveling, eh?" She chuckled nervously. Awkward.

He couldn't wait to get out of here.

"Last but not least, the grand prize of the day, are you, Uchiha Itachi, currently courting anyone?"

The woman's brown eyes were solid, anxious of his answer. She licked her lips, watching his every movement which was nothing.

"No, I am not seeing anyone." Well, this was the truth. This was the one question where he actually told the truth.

The interviewer sighed in relief. She still had her chance.

Itachi sighed inwardly, irked. If the lady was thinking about trying to date him, she just blew her chance. Shinobi Rule 101 with a twist of Itachi: Never show your emotions when attempting to lure your prey. He felt like he was a prey; she had lust written all over her face.

"Thank you so much for your cooperation, Uchiha-san." She wished that she could've asked him more than only _four _questions. But, then again, Uchiha Itachi was a busy man and she adored busy men.

He merely nodded before leaving the room civilly, instead of teleporting the hell out of there. There was one thing he had to do and that was find Shisui in order to torment him for signing him up for such a ridiculous round of questions. This was more like an interrogation regarding his love life.

* * *

"Yes, Tsunade-Shishou?" said an alert, pink-haired medic. She was ready for the new mission. It had been so long since she got her own solo mission. She was tired of Naruto and Sasuke rubbing their solo missions in her face, whether they did it intentionally or not.

The Hokage sighed and muttered, "Don't be too disappointed, Sakura."

Sometimes, her apprentice could be like her other two teammates. Eager for missions, ready to prove their growth in their shinobi career. Young, bold and easily disappointed.

Uncertain, Sakura reached for the scroll and peeled it open. What did Tsunade mean? Why would she be disappointed. For crying out loud, she was getting a new mission! It had been six months since her last mission.

"What. The. Kami. Is. This?" She dropped the scroll onto the floor and it rolled over to Tsunade.

"Sakura, you're one of the few females that I can entrust this mission to. You know how popular he is with the women. If I randomly assigned anyone for this task, you know what could happen," Tsunade reasoned.

Sakura tried not to think, tried so hard not to imagine a woman throwing herself at the ANBU captain. She could care less though. Why did she have to do office work for a week? How was that a mission? Itachi was an ANBU; he could survive a week with one woman.

"Do I have the choice to decline this offer?" This shouldn't even be considered as a mission.

"Do you even have to ask that, Sakura? I picked you because I know you won't throw yourself at Itachi; Kami knows that we all know that he hates having women trying to seduce him. I know that you won't do that and I am certain that you will complete this mission without being romantically involved with him. I chose you because I have faith in you," Tsunade explained.

Sakura sighed and added, "And this is because I have years of experience with paper work, right? Don't lie to me and if you do lie, you're lying on your right to drink."

Tsunade sighed, grabbing a bottle of sake and popping it open before she replied, "You're right. There! I told the truth; I guess, that means I still get to drink?" She grinned and took a swig from the bottle.

Sakura's fist twitched. She needed to punch a mountain and maybe spill some blood. Ah, just kidding about the blood part. She wasn't that blood-crazed, yet. Just a few more months being cooped up in Konoha and then, she'd blow up.

Tsunade straightened herself as she stood up and announced, "Haruno Sakura, I present to you this mission. You will work in your client's office, help him with whatever paper work needed and abide to the regulations of keeping information confidential. Of course, all of this will be completed in one week."

Sakura nodded, feeling lazy. Great, paper work and she was still stuck in Konoha.

How hard could this mission be? One week with Uchiha Itachi, stuck in his office? That was nothing.

* * *

A/N: New story and it's going to be short, hopefully, less than 10 chapters. I don't really know yet; but, I decided to write this up because I was afraid that I'd lose this plot!** Review**, please :)


	2. Chapter 2

**I Lied**

* * *

**Day 1- Impressions**

* * *

Normal POV:

Itachi was walking to his office, carrying a large stack of paper. Being an ANBU captain meant lots of paperwork. He had to make sure that the paper work regarding completed and uncompleted missions were organized carefully. He had to make sure that the client's information were kept confidential and that the clients weren't a threat to the village. He had to do a lot of things.

There was simply too much missions and because of that, there was too much paperwork. Around this time of the year, the paperwork would quadruple its original amount. He didn't mind doing all of the paperwork by himself; in fact, he wanted to do it by himself. Yeah, you could say that he wasn't very sociable when it came to work. He just focused on his work and zoned everything, everyone, else out.

However, just the other night, his mother was scolding him for not spending enough time with her and Sasuke. She said that he worked too much, almost as if he married work itself. Deep inside, he knew that his mom was lonely without him. He had only moved out of the house for, roughly, four years. At least, his mom still had Sasuke.

Shaking his head, Itachi chuckled inwardly at the thought. Sasuke got all of the babying and pampering these days. Oh, and he knew how much Sasuke hated being treated like a baby. How could he help it though? Sasuke was the baby out of the family; no matter how old he became, he'd always be the baby boy.

Even Sasuke wanted him to come back home often and visit them. Of course, Sasuke would nag to him about training together or something about sharpening the Sharingan skills. Never once did Sasuke tell him flat out that he wanted his lovely big brother to come home and play with him. His mom would always jump into the conversations and agree, saying that he needed more family time. Itachi knew better than that though. Family time meant that his mom could pester him relentlessly about finding a wife. He didn't want to look for one.

Still, he conformed to his mother's wish and requested for an extra hand with the paperwork through the form of a mission. He specifically asked for the Hokage to pick someone who wouldn't hinder him in his work. Who was it?

Unlocking his office door, Itachi spotted her. He should've known that the Hokage would assign the apprentice this mission. Why not? She was intelligent, cooperative, and extremely experienced with office work, especially paperwork. He just hoped that she wouldn't be all over him.

He shut the door, locked.

* * *

Sakura whirled around to look at the staring Itachi. This was one of the few times where she would interact with him, alone. Not knowing what to do, Sakura smiled, greeted him, and introduced herself as the person assigned to the mission. Finish the paperwork in a week.

Itachi nodded, instructing her to sit by the desk as he got her paperwork. He disappeared into another room.

Sakura glanced around the room. His office was fairly large, spacious. She noticed that he was a clean and organized person. He had a few stray papers sitting on this desk. Well, it didn't look like he was _that_ busy. She couldn't help but feel irritated. This was such a ridiculous mission! A waste of time.

"These are the paperwork for the missions," Itachi stated, appearing next to her. Sakura sat up straighter and stared up at him and then, she noticed the large, messy stack of papers that filled the brown box full. Tsunade wasn't kidding and she wasn't drunk when she told her that the paperwork was even more than her own sets of paperwork.

"Wow, that is a lot," Sakura commented, arms automatically reaching for the box full of papers. She was itching to get this done and over with.

"This is only the first round, Haruno-san." Itachi analyzed her actions. He could tell she was sizing up the assignment, calculating what to do and how long it would take her to finish this. At least, she had the drive to work.

She set the box on the desk in front of her and he took several steps to the wall before leaning on it as he informed, "First, you will need to separate the completed and uncompleted missions. For the completed missions, you will record the amount of profit gained and then, alphabetically organize the missions by the clients' last names. For the uncompleted missions, you will separate them by their rankings. Once you have them separated, alphabetically organize them by the clients' last names. You must not read into the missions and if anything catches your attention and you do read it, it must remain confidential. I am positive that you know the consequences of not keeping information confidential, Haruno-san."

Sakura nodded and replied, "Understood, Captain Uchiha."

Itachi gave her a brief nod and reminded, "If you need anything or if anything happens, I will be next door."

Confused, she asked, "Wait, what do you mean 'next door'? Isn't this your office?"

Itachi arched his brows; did she not know where she was working? Most ANBU captains had two rooms, their actual office and what he preferred to call the extra room, the waiting room. For the other captains, the waiting room was usually occupied by short-term secretaries. Although, he usually didn't have anyone entering this room asides from Shisui, Sasuke, his ANBU teammates and his mother. The Hokage never even set a foot in here. She always called to him to her headquarters. And, he never ever had female secretaries much less a secretary at all. Sakura was his first secretary.

"This is my spare room, but it is connected to my office." He pointed to the door across from them.

She nodded. Well, she learned something new today.

"I'll keep that in mind." Sakura smiled softly and he turned to go. It seemed like she'd be working by herself, not that she had any problem with that. She just didn't expect there to be a wall and a door separating them. It wasn't like she had cooties, and then she realized that he was probably paranoid. He probably figured that she was just another one of those rabid fanatics of his.

For some reason, she felt angered. In a way, wasn't he labeling her as a hormone-raged female who wanted to seduce him? He may be the Uchiha's heir and Konoha's top ANBU captain, but that didn't mean that he could assume that she was like the other women. She would prove him wrong.

With that in mind, Sakura set off to finish the large assignment so that she could start on the second round of paperwork. Who knew that paperwork could be so motivating?

* * *

Sitting in his office, Itachi mused to himself quietly. Not once did she come to him. She didn't pester him and he felt the need to walk outside of his office and check on her. Was she actually doing her job? Or was she painting her nails, talking to that Yamanaka friend of hers whom she probably invited seconds after he left?

Itachi leaned back in his comfy chair, thinking. Haruno Sakura, the teammate of his little brother and the fourth Hokage's son, the current Hokage's apprentice, a rising star in the medical world; she was one of Konoha's best kunoichi. From what he heard, she was capable of surpassing Tsunade.

Still, that didn't mean that the pinkette wouldn't jump his bones any second. Maybe she playing innocent in order to catch him off guard before she seduced him? After all, he was popular with the female population. Sakura was one of the many women out in the world. She was one of the many females who he did not know about.

He stood up, glanced at his watch before he left the office. Three hours had passed. He needed to see progress and there had better be progress or else, she was out.

* * *

Sakura was nearly done, finishing the last few papers for the uncompleted missions. They were still to be assigned to teams, but Itachi would do that part since he was the ANBU captain. She had her fingers swimming in the papers non-stop; she was prideful that she hadn't even got a paper cut from all of this paper shuffling.

Then, she heard a smooth, rich voice interrupt her thoughts.

"Haruno-san."

Trying not to smirk, she turned around gradually. She tilted her head innocently and asked him if he needed anything. What now, huh?

She could see the same onyx eyes that Sasuke possessed drift over to her neatly separated papers. She had done a spectacular job. She was waiting for him to respond, to say something; maybe even praise her?

"You're almost finished?" Dark eyes landed on her. Three hours was all it took.

"Yes, Uchiha-san. Would you like me to start on the next round?" Sakura tucked a strand of her pink hair behind her ears. What would it take for him to acknowledge her difference? She wasn't here to be intimate with him. She was here to get the damn mission done so that she could get a better, less ridiculous, mission.

"Finish that first. Then, you can take a lunch break and start the second round after lunch, Haruno-san," Itachi explained. She was fast, but was she efficient? He'd take a look at her work after she left for lunch.

"Will do." Sakura replied, returning to her work which she soon finished before gracefully leaving. Time went by fast. It was only morning when she started work and now it was noon? She hoped that she left an awesome impression on him. If not, she always had the second round to blast him away.

* * *

"I heard that you were working for my brother?" Sasuke asked, popping a piece of fried chicken into his mouth. He looked up at her with an intense stare.

Sakura looked back with an equally intense stare. What did he have to say now? She had almost forgotten that she was eating with Sasuke for lunch today. When they first sat down, he began talking about his almighty brother and she muttered to herself that he had a brother's complex. What she really wondered was, what brought this all on?

"Uh, yeah, Sasuke. I am working _with_ him, not_ for_ him. Geez, you make me sound like I'm a slave. Do remember that I'm the one who accepted the mission; he's the client." She huffed and chewed on a piece of meat.

"Sakura, you better not do anything to him," he warned. Sakura's fist twitched under the table. Was the freaking Uchiha trying to cause a battle? If so, she'd feel bad for breaking down this lovely place. They always had great customer service and spectacular food, especially the tempura.

"What ever do you mean, Sasuke-kun," she seethed out, all too sweetly. The bastard thought that she had some sort of plan formulated. Kami, did her own teammate think that she'd seduce the ANBU captain also? It seemed like no one trusted her these days, except for Tsunade. Maybe that was why she had no missions lately? No, that wasn't true and it wasn't rational.

Sakura narrowed her jade eyes. She could punch him in the face right now and leave him to fend for whatever broken body piece he got in the end. But, she was nice. So she wouldn't inflict injury upon him until later. She was waiting, waiting for the perfect chance to give him a good whipping. Sparring sessions.

"Look, I don't want you thinking that you can get together with my brother. He doesn't like women clinging onto him. I don't want there to be any more stress than there already is on him," Sasuke explained. He stared at her gravely.

She nodded and replied, "Well, I never even planned on becoming intimate with him, Uchiha. So you telling me this was pretty much worthless. It's nice to know that you care about your brother, but just out of curiosity, do you do this to all the women that come in contact with your dear brother?"

Sasuke leaned back, shrugging. She could tell by the silent humor in his eyes that he was playing with her. He obviously wasn't going to tell her. Sakura grinned, leaning to him so that she could pat him on the shoulder.

Gripping his shoulder firmly, she forced him to her and said, "Look, Sasuke, it's pretty much obvious. You love Itachi and you've got some sort of brother's complex. The problem here is that you're never going to be able to protect him fully. Some lucky woman, I guess, will come along and steal him from you. And what are you going to do? Kill her at night, huh? You're probably going to end up with a heart-broken, pissed off Itachi ready to potentially kill you."

Sasuke narrowed his coal eyes at her with bitterness. She smirked, hardening her emerald eyes also.

"No. If Itachi loves her, then I'll accept it." Sakura broke into a beam, clapping softly for him as she praised him silently.

"Don't mock me, Sakura." He glared kunais at her.

"Who said I was, smart-one." She stuck her tongue at him. She released him and sat back in her comfy chair. So, all Sasuke wanted to do was warn her to not become romantically involved with him? That was doable.

Sakura looked at her watch, getting up as she grabbed her stuff and turned to stare down at him. She just had to remind him one last time, jam it into his Uchiha head, and stated, "I only took the mission because Tsunade-sama ordered me to do the mission. Otherwise, I am pretty sure that I'd be on a kick-ass mission right now, Sasuke."

He muttered, "I hope so."

She sighed and replied, "So skeptical, Sasuke-chan. What would your wife make of you?" She shook her head and disappeared.

Sasuke relaxed, scratching his chin as he thought the answer to himself. Of course, his wife would think that he was so amazing and extremely handsome. Then, it dawned upon him. Sakura called his name with such a girly suffix.

He grimaced. Would his future wife call him that? Ew.

* * *

Itachi was sitting in his office. He had put the organized paperwork into the storage room. She did do a good job. Good was all that it was; okay, maybe it was better than good since everything was accurate. At least, he knew that she was listening to him.

He heard a knock on his door and exclaimed, "Enter."

Sakura entered, walking in with a hint of boldness. She was ready for the next round, ready to prove herself worthy. And of course, prove him wrong.

"Can I start on the second round now, Uchiha-san."

"Of course, I'll set it on your desk in a minute." He watched her nod and turn to leave. Right as the door was closing, he added, "You did a good job, Haruno."

He continued to watch her as she turned her head to look over her shoulder. Her pink hair whipping through the air as her green eyes settled on him and she responded, "Thank you."

The door shut and Itachi wondered why he decided to say that. It wasn't like him to praise people since he was hardly moved by others. Paperwork was all it took for him to be motivated by her? He figured that he'd probably be even more moved if he saw her in combat.

* * *

A/N: Here it is the second chapter! Thanks for all of the reviews. I was itching to post it yesterday night, but then I just _had_ to add Sasuke in there. Tell me what you think, review :D


	3. Chapter 3

**I Lied**

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**Night 1- Illusions**

* * *

Normal POV:

Sakura waved goodbye and called out, "Have a good night, Uchiha-san."

Locking the door, Itachi nodded and replied, "You too, Haruno-san."

He watched her walk down the hallway and turn the corner. She wasn't that bad; she didn't make a move on him and she didn't show any interest in him. What if she was different from the other women? Much to his surprise, he could tolerate her. There were few women whom he could stand. One being his mother; second, being his long-time teammate Hana and third, the Hokage. Though, sometimes the female Hokage drove him crazy.

Itachi glanced at his watch. It was already nine and he was an hour late. His mother would be furious, but if he showed up, maybe her anger would dissipate? He hoped that he was right.

* * *

"How was work, Forehead?" Ino questioned. She leaned across the table, eagerly. What happened behind those soundproof walls, inside the usually empty office? What was Uchiha Itachi _really_ like? She bet that he was a wild, untamable beast!

Sakura arched a brow and said, "Pig, you're such a dirty thinker. We haven't done anything. News flash, I don't even know the man and as far as I'm concerned, I'm the recipient of a mission and he's the client. Oh, and it is going to remain that way. Sorry to bust your bubble."

Ino chugged down her drink, wiping her rose-colored lips with the back of her hand. She flipped her long, blond locks and smirked. She smirked at the pink-haired medic who glared back.

"Aren't you going to drink your sake?" Ino asked softly, shifting her stare onto the glass cup. She pushed it closer to Sakura's hands which quickly retreated from the wooden table and onto her lap.

Sakura smiled insincerely and replied, "Ino-pig, don't try to get me drunk. I'm not going to spill the beans. What happens in a mission must remain confidential."

Ino slapped the table harshly and spat out, "Oh, come on, Forehead! You know that's not completely true! I-I just want you to drink some alcohol with me, you know like the good old times."

Sakura laughed freely and continued, "I don't plan on drinking, Ino; not tonight. Someone's looking a little too desperate. What's the matter, Pig? Not enough love gossip going around? You better not make anything of Itachi and I. We are nothing, but mere colleagues. He is my-_our_- senior, dummy."

"All the more reason to defy the natural laws of love, duh. Go for the forbidden fruit, Billboard, and you might end up with a hot, kinky gift in the end," Ino remarked, sitting down before she glared at everyone else to go back to whatever they were doing.

"Again, swine, I'm telling you that there's nothing between us. We're just working and we don't even talk that much. That's all I'm going to tell you. So, you can either keep going nowhere or you can be late to your date," Sakura reminded. She held up her wrist, tapping on her watch. Ino shot out of her chair and told Sakura to cover the bills. Sakura sighed and muttered to herself that she'd become broke soon.

* * *

"_Oooh_, Itachi-chan, you're late. Mikoto is going to be sooo furious with you when you get there," Shisui cooed. He smirked at the nonchalant cousin who was, hopefully, freaking out internally. They were walking past a beverage shop when Shisui noticed Sakura, sitting alone. She was sitting in her little section with the window open, letting the night breeze blow into the area.

"Hey, Itachi, isn't that your secretary?" Shisui asked. Using a finger, he turned Itachi's head in Sakura's direction. Itachi whacked Shisui's finger away, locking his eyes on her. What was she doing by herself in a place like that? Maybe she was waiting for someone? Or maybe she got stood up by her date? Or maybe, she liked to drink by herself? Wait, did she even drink?

"So what you're going to do?" Curious eyes glinted in the dark night.

"Nothing, Shisui."

"You're not going to rescue her. Man, you really don't know how these stuff work, Itachi." Shisui wandered off to the window by Sakura. Itachi shook his head; Shisui was so outrageous sometimes. Must he flirt with all the women of Konoha? He backed into the shadows, watching his cousin attempt to flirt with the pinkette.

"You're Haruno Sakura, right?" Shisui asked, leaning against the window casually. He took in her relaxed state. She was leaning into the cushion with her eyes closed; her short, rosy hair contrasted with her porcelain skin.

She opened her green, hard eyes in a heartbeat. Shisui gulped. He felt the fire radiating from her; he liked fire. He just didn't like getting burned by the fire. She looked annoyed.

"Who the hell are you?" she demanded, not even offering him a gentle smile. She uncrossed her arms, stretching them. She flexed her fingers, curling them and uncurling them. Hopefully, the man got her message.

He took a step back, smoothing his shirt before he dramatically bowed and replied, "I'm sorry. I didn't introduce myself. My name is Uchiha Shisui."

He heard her cluck her tongue as she commented, "Another Uchiha, _great_."

The waiter appeared, looking at Shisui with suspicion who waved casually with a smile. Sakura paid for the long-gone drinks and the waiter disappeared.

She looked back at Shisui who said, "That's a first."

Picking up her bag and strapping it on her shoulder, Sakura turned to look at him and said, "Let me guess. It's the first time someone's ever reacted like this to you?"

He nodded. She shrugged. No point in making a conversation because she didn't even know this stranger. She got up, quickly leaving the shop. She hoped that he wouldn't follow her. If he did, she might have to unleash the fury that she was saving for Sasuke on him.

Mixing into the crowd, Sakura cloaked her chakra. That Shisui man was probably a ninja and he was an Uchiha, so she'd have to be careful. She could hear him shout her name and she wanted to cringe. How did he know her when she herself didn't even know him? What did she do to deserve this? Now, she'd have the Uchiha fanatics coming after her.

She felt a warm hand on her left shoulder and turned around to see him standing behind her. He smiled at her with true warmth and she feigned a smile. She could see the way he obviously darted his dark eyes around. He was trying to tell her that there was an audience. After all, they were in public. If she resorted to violence, people would see her as the one who attacked 'the man who simply placed a hand on her shoulder.'

A few people began to look at them and Sakura wanted to hide in a hole. She could imagine it already, her name plastered in a big font size in the _Daily Shinobi_'s latest edition. Underneath her name, the author of that article would label her as the mysterious girl who stole one of the famous Uchiha male's heart. Then, she'd be called a slut, a whore, a tramp, anything that could cause her pain, both reputation-wise and physically. And don't forget the crazy fans who would stalk her every move and send her death letters.

"Calm down, Sakura," Shisui murmured against her ear. Sakura stiffened even more; he was so close to her ear. When did he move so close to her? Probably when she was imagining her impending death.

She removed herself from his embrace. Forget him and his hypnotizing voice; Uchihas and their power to hypnotize people, she wasn't going to get caught up in that crap. She threw him a dark glare and stalked off.

She could feel his presence. He was purposely radiating his chakra; he wanted her to know that he was trailing after her and in return, she would spike her chakra at certain times. She wanted him to know that he was entering a red flag zone.

She thought about taking him to the police and reporting him as a stalker and potential sexual harasser but then she remembered that the police were headed by the freaking Uchiha clan. What could she do?

First, she'd turn around and demand him to back off with a few curse words probably included. If he didn't, then she'd lead him to the sparring grounds. There, she would beat the crap out of him, if she had to or if she could. If that really did happen, she hoped that she could at least give him a beautiful punch in the face.

She stopped, scanning the area. There were only a few people on this street. She whirled around to stare at the man who also stopped and smiled. She arched a brow. How could he be so smiley? Of course, he probably didn't know how it felt to be stalked by some random, over-charming man. It was plain creepy.

"Look, Uchiha," she started and paused. Her tone was too sharp. She composed herself and continued in a firm voice, "I would appreciate it if you left me alone. Do I look like I need any company?"

"A gorgeous woman like you shouldn't be sitting in a shop by herself. Were you stood up by your date? Besides, it's not like I planned on sleeping with you. I just wanted to see if you were okay."

He stopped to think to himself and teasingly added, "Unless, you want to. I'm perfectly okay with that." He winked at her.

She crunched her knuckles and he heard all of them pop with a sharp snap. He nodded stiffly and muttered something about taking the last statement back.

"Thank you for your concern, Uchiha-san, but it seems to me that you got the wrong idea. I was with a friend who happened to be the one drinking. Have a good night," she said, performing some seals before she teleported away.

"Well, that went well." A crow cawed. Shisui turned to look at Itachi who appeared from the shadows.

"Idiot," Itachi proclaimed, walking in the other direction. Shisui sighed and jogged after him.

"You're secretary's interesting. Would you mind me getting to know her?" Shisui asked. He peered at Itachi who never made a response.

What did that mean?

* * *

"Uchiha Itachi! Where did you run off to? You're two hours late; it's almost ten thirty," Mikoto scolded, waving her wooden spoon in the air. She was washing dishes when Itachi and Shisui sauntered into the house, looking about ready to smack them with her wooden spoon. How dare they arrive late?! They were supposed to eat dinner together at eight thirty.

Itachi looked at Shisui and said, "Shisui got sidetracked."

Shisui raised his brows and defended quickly, "Mikoto, I was just conversing with Itachi's new secretary. She's really bold and straightforward; she's kind of like you, but of course, you're better, like way better."

She set the wooden spoon down, narrowing her eyes as she replied, "Shisui, flattery does not work on me." He smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

Mikoto rushed over to Itachi and hugged him tightly as she murmured, "So who was this so-called secretary, Itachi-chan?" Her eyes glinted with mischief.

"Sasuke's teammate."

"She has a name, Itachi. Would you like to tell me?" A frown appeared on her face.

"Of course, mother. Haruno Sakura is her name."

Mikoto pulled back, looking at him. She was searching for any emotions on his lovely face. Did he love her? Maybe he had affections for her secretly? Nope, not a trace of anything on his face. Mikoto frowned. She liked Sakura but maybe she was Sasuke's? Who knew what to do with her stubborn, ice-cube of sons. They had their career lives all set to go; however, she couldn't give up on their love lives.

"You're not interested in her?" Mikoto asked, tentative.

"Mother, we're only colleagues. I have never really interacted with her before," Itachi replied with exasperation hinted in his tone. Mikoto grinned; that was what he got for coming home two hours late and even missing dinner which she had told him a long time ago. He should've known better!

"Oh, really?" Shisui added, smirking. He shook his head and exaggeratedly commented, "I feel like this is the beginning of a new love, Mikoto. A love that will blossom from a small bud and spring into life."

Mikoto nodded and agreed, "That is exactly what I was thinking, Shisui. My dear nephew, you are so intelligent and handy when it comes to love." Shisui smiled with her in unison and Itachi walked to the table, dropping onto the cushion before he began to eat. He wanted to forget them for a while, if he could possibly do that.

"Itachi-chan, wash your hands first!" Mikoto scolded, lightly. A warm smile graced her lips.

She watched her twenty-three year old son comply, lazily saying, "Yes, mother."

She continued to watch him enter the kitchen and when he disappeared completely, she turned to Shisui and confessed, "I love ordering him around like this. He was such an obedient child. Oh, and he was and still is so kind. Now, where is Sasuke-chan?"

* * *

"Shit, Sasuke-Teme, you're sick!" Naruto cried out. He pointed at the vomit that Sasuke puked out. Naruto was beginning to feel queasy just looking at Sasuke's doubled form as he vomited his guts out. Where was Sakura-chan when they needed her? Naruto knew only one thing. He had to get Sasuke back home, fast. Naruto walked over to Sasuke, grabbing him with a firm hold, and teleported them both to Sasuke's house.

Naruto and Sasuke dropped onto the floor. Naruto stifled a groan as Sasuke landed on him, moaning subtly. Crap, he had to get Sasuke off of him before he threw up on him. Naruto shoved Sasuke off him and got onto his knees, checking for any injury that Sasuke may have gotten.

Naruto looked around the room, seeing only blurs for a couple of seconds as his eyes adjusted. Damn! The teleportation jutsu caused him to become unbalanced. He usually didn't teleport another person with him, but this time he had to.

"Sasuke's sick," Naruto stated, abruptly. He suddenly realized that he was sitting on his knees, right across from Itachi who was eating. Naruto wanted to smack his head. He teleported them to the dining room, not the bathroom or Sasuke's room!

"What happened?" Mikoto asked calmly as she rushed over to Sasuke who clutched his stomach, lying on his side. She felt his head burning up.

"W-we were sparring and then, I landed a punch at his stomach. He dropped onto his knees and vomited and continued to do so. So, I teleported us here. This has never happened before. I've punched him a million times and he's never thrown up like this. I was thinking that maybe he ate something wrong. Can a punch make someone vomit what they ate?" Naruto explained frantically. Nothing was making sense. Was Sasuke dying?

Mikoto told Sasuke to stay put while she went to go get a clean towel from the kitchen. Shisui walked closer to Sasuke and suggested, "Maybe we should get a medic? You know, to make sure everything's alright."

Itachi was hovering next to Sasuke, concerned. He tried to tell Sasuke to remain put, but the little brother was stubborn as a mule. Sasuke slowly sat up, getting onto his knees as he blindly searched for something stable. Everything felt so fuzzy; the world was spinning. He was somehow twirling and his mind was flipped upside down. He was sick. Was this some sort of genjutsu?

Grabbing onto the low dining table, Sasuke opened his mouth and vomited. Itachi's eyes widened in disgust at his now tarnished dinner. There was no way he was going to touch the food now, not in a million eras.

Itachi looked at the shocked Naruto and ordered, "Go get a medic, Naruto."

In a flash, Naruto was gone, looking for a certain medic.

* * *

"S-sakura-chan!" Naruto cried out. He was pounding at Sakura's door. Kami, Sasuke was going to die. His best friend, that bastard, was going to die on him. And, it was all his fault. If he had never punched Sasuke, Sasuke would still be well and breathing this very moment. He would still be smirking his face off. He would still be calling him dead-last.

Sakura walked out of her room, taking her sweet time. She had just finished taking a shower a while ago. Her damp hair was tied into a bun and her pink bangs clung to the sides of her face. She was wearing a white tank top, her mid-thigh, black shorts and a loose, grey sweater. She was about to go to sleep, but then Naruto's cries interrupted her.

"Sakura-chan, hurry up! Sasuke-Teme is going to die!" Naruto's muffled voice shouted from outside.

Hearing that, Sakura ran to the door and opened it, only to see a terrified Naruto standing there. His yellow hair was even messier than usual and his blue eyes were watery.

"Where is he, Naruto?" Sakura demanded, slipping on some white sneakers. Was he at the hospital? Was he at home? Was he on a battlefield somewhere? Wait, no, that wasn't possible because she was just with him earlier today. He had to be somewhere in Konoha.

"He's at home. You have to hurry. I- we were training and-" Sakura interrupted him, grabbing his arm as she transported them to Sasuke. Who cared what Naruto had to say. Her friend was about to die.

* * *

Sakura appeared in the house, standing upright with Naruto clinging onto her. She inhaled softly. The place reeked of vomit. Of course, this was nothing to her. She was already used to such a nauseating scent. She spotted Itachi hovering over Sasuke. Was he already dead?

Mikoto appeared, brightening when she saw Sakura. She walked to the medic and led her to Sasuke quickly. Itachi moved aside, standing up. Shisui came back into the room with a large bowl of warm water.

On her knees, Sakura felt Sasuke's burning forehead. He was sick alright. She felt his left wrist, listening to his pulse. Obviously, he wasn't dead since his pulse was healthy and beating steadily. She'd have to punch Naruto for lying big time and almost giving her a heart attack.

Gently shaking Sasuke awake, she questioned, "Sasuke, how do you feel?"

"Like shit. Hurry up and cure me already, Sakura," he croaked out and she laughed lightly. At least, he was still the same old Sasuke. Mikoto frowned at her son's response. Was this how Sasuke talked to his teammate? She'd have to scold him later. That was no gentleman for sure.

"Do you think there's a reason why you're this sick?" she asked, transitioning into her medic mode.

He laughed dryly and muttered impatiently, "You're the medic, not me. How would I know?"

She sighed, irritated, and continued professionally, "Sasuke, I need to know what you did that triggered this. Did you eat something wrong? Did a poison senbon pierce you? Did you feel strange after doing something? If so, what was that 'something'?"

Sasuke closed his eyes, thinking, trying to recall what he did. Lunch! When he was eating lunch with Sakura today! He flashed his eyes open and stared at the concerned medic who was waiting, waiting for him to say anything.

"You, me, eating lunch, poison," he muttered, shutting his tired eyes again.

Sakura could feel it; she could feel their stares on her. She could hear their silent, wrong, accusations. She did not poison Sasuke when they were eating lunch together. Great, now she'd be a whore and a murderer with one goal in mind: conquer the Uchihas, well at least the males. Anyways, she understood what the nearly unconscious teammate meant though. Food poison.

"Kami, Sasuke. You really can't cook meat," she exclaimed. She looked up at everyone else and explained to them that he must've got food poisoned while they were eating lunch together earlier. Of course, she thought that he could grill his own meat so she decided to let him do it by himself. Next time, she'd be even more wary of his lack of cooking skills.

"Tch, I wasn't paying attention," he defended meekly. She sighed, pouring chakra into her pale hands. First, she'd get rid of the nausea or at least, lower it. Then, she'd get one of the guys to carry him to his room and another to bring a bucket so that Sasuke could puke. She was sure that Mikoto wouldn't want her baby boy vomiting all over the nice floor.

* * *

Naruto and Sasuke argued with each other for several minutes. Naruto wanted to carry Sasuke to his room, causing Sasuke to feel the urge to smack the idiot in the back of his head. Sasuke argued that he could walk by himself and nearly tripped the first time he attempted in doing so. Fortunately, Naruto caught him and placed Sasuke's arm around his neck.

Growling slightly, Sasuke removed his arm from Naruto who took several steps back, holding up his hands in surrender. As Sakura stood up, she thought to herself that Sasuke was being too stubborn and she was about to say something when Sasuke stumbled backwards in her direction.

"Sasuke, be careful. This is why you need someone to walk with you," she chided, catching him effortlessly. He whirled around, facing her, and opened his mouth as he came in contact with the soon to be surprised and most likely angered medic.

* * *

Naruto covered his mouth in horror, one hand over the other. Sasuke did not just puke on Sakura-chan's shirt, did he? He looked at the blank expression plastered on her face. Was that shock or was she trying to contain her anger? Sasuke was going to be in so much shit when he was better.

Naruto rushed over, peeled Sasuke off of Sakura who stiffly lifted her hands up in silent disgust. He dragged the unconscious Sasuke back to his bedroom, never looking at Sakura.

* * *

Sakura blinked. She could smell Sasuke or should she put it more specifically, she could smell his nasty vomit glued on her tank top. She did not want to look at her white tank top. She could feel the vomit drip onto her shorts. She prayed that the vomit wouldn't drip onto her skin.

Mikoto appeared in front of the frozen medic and immediately apologized. How things happened like this? She would never know. She just hoped that Sakura was fine.

Sakura held a hand up and stated, "I'm fine, Uchiha-sama."

Mikoto grimaced at her shirt and replied, "Call me Mikoto, Sakura."

She turned to look at Itachi who was walking towards them, concerned. Well, didn't he have exceptional timing? Mikoto grinned to herself silently. This was perfect! _They_ were perfect! She thought to herself that Itachi would eventually thank her for noticing the possibility of Sakura and him being together.

"Itachi-chan, would you show Sakura where the bathroom is? I'd like her to take a warm bath and clean herself of Sasuke's mess," Mikoto asked. Of course, Itachi knew that whenever his mother asked something, it meant that she was demanding. Asking and demanding were the same words in his mother's dictionary.

He nodded and Sakura remarked, "Oh, no thank you, Mikoto-san. There's no need to do such a thing for me. I can just go home and take care of myself. I wouldn't want to impose on you and your family." It was more like she wasn't comfortable taking a bath here, especially since Itachi was here and that Shisui man happened to be here.

Mikoto shook her head gracefully and pushed Sakura gently to the waiting Itachi. Sakura stopped herself several inches away from Itachi; she wouldn't want to dirty him with Sasuke's remains. She looked to Itachi, hoping that he'd understand her silent plead and help her. He just stared back at her with a blank face.

Whipping her face back to Mikoto, Sakura reasoned, "Mikoto-san, I don't have any clothes here. It would be best if I went home." There, that should do the trick, right? It made sense. Why take a shower and not have her clothes here? Obviously, she wasn't going to walk around nude.

"You can borrow some of Itachi-chan's clothes, Sakura," the matriarch answered, crossing her arms. Checkmate. That should stop Sakura from refusing.

Standing behind the fretting secretary, Itachi narrowed his eyes at his mother. She was scheming something and he could sense it, practically _feel_ it. He never gave his clothes out to anyone, not even Sasuke. And, he never gave his clothes to women except his mother, but that was during his academy days.

"I couldn't do such a thing, Mikoto-san," Sakura refused, shaking her head. This was not going the way she planned. She could already feel that the firm mother would win this fight.

"Oh, Sakura, I'm sure my son won't mind. He's such a sweet child; now, go on and take a nice, warm bath," she said, her eyes demanding the medic to try and defy her. Sakura forced a smile and turned to Itachi, noticing Shisui who grinned at her. That Shisui man better not try to do anything funny or else the whole house could go crumbling down with him.

Itachi shot his crazy cousin a look and led Sakura out of the dining room and into the hallway.

* * *

He was walking next to the quiet secretary. This was certainly awkward. He looked at her from the corner of his eyes, thankful that the hallway was nearly dark. Her face was shadowed, but he could tell that she was tense as if she was searching for any trailers.

"Shisui won't come near you, Haruno-san. If he does, I'll make sure to torture him with my Sharingan," Itachi assured.

"If he does, I hope that you will keep your words, Uchiha-san." Sakura smiled, wondering how he read her mind.

"We're going to make a stop by my room first." He led her down another hallway, left her outside of his room as he got her a large, clean towel and some unused clothes, and led her to the bathroom.

"That's cute how your mom calls you that," Sakura blurted, looking at Itachi in the dark. She stopped as he stopped and placed a hand on the bathroom door. He turned to look at her, smirking slightly.

Sakura blinked. Did her client just smirk at her or was she just imagining things in the dark?

"Is it?" Itachi mused aloud; his smirk fading into the dark. He watched her nod once. Was that a trace of pink on her fair skin? He couldn't really tell. Now, he kind of wished that it wasn't so dark. He opened the door and backed away as she stepped into the bathroom, turning on the light.

He scanned her face for a blush. There was no sign of such thing. That was odd; he really thought that he saw her blush. Maybe it was his eyes? Illusions.

* * *

Sakura sat in the bathtub. Ugh, why was she blushing? And, how was she blushing so easily? It was like she was twelve all over again. What really got to her was the fact that her heart thumped so fast when he smirked at her, or at least when she _thought_ that he smirked at her.

She rubbed her skin smoothly, blowing at the bubbles. Maybe she was just seeing things. Illusions, that was all it was, _just_ illusions. She leaned back, soaking in the warm water before she sniffed herself and frowned. Stupid Sasuke and his vomit.

* * *

After cleaning herself thoroughly, Sakura stood in front of the mirror by the sink and stared at herself. She was wearing Uchiha Itachi's clothes. Kami, if any of his fans found out about this, she'd be dead by morning.

Not being able to resist it anymore, she slowly pulled the collar of his black shirt up to her nose. His shirt smelt so clean, so nice and way too tempting. Was this how Itachi himself smelt? Or was it just the laundry detergent? Sakura smacked her forehead for being so weird. What was she getting herself into? It was only the first day that she worked with him and she was already wearing his clothes, whether he liked it or not.

This was going to be a lot harder than she thought it was.

* * *

Sasuke was sitting in his bed, feeling groggy. Naruto was trying to feed him his medicine, like he needed help eating painkillers. This was completely unnecessary and Naruto was really overreacting.

Hearing a knock, he turned to find Sakura dressed in familiar sweat pants and a way too familiar shirt. What was she doing wearing Itachi's clothes?

He watched her walk into his room as she explained knowingly, "If you didn't barf on me, dear Sasuke, I wouldn't be in your brother's clothes." She smiled sadly at the frowning Sasuke before she leaned on the wall.

"Guess what, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked, peering at her excitedly. His blue eyes sparkled with cheeriness. She narrowed her emerald eyes, remembering that she wanted to tell both her teammates something.

"What, Naruto?"

"You're supposed to _guess_, Sakura-chan." He rolled his eyes, saying that she was spending too much time with stoic Uchihas. She shrugged; she couldn't deny it. It was the truth.

"Oh, yeah. I just wanted to say that you two better watch your backs the next time we do a team sparring session because after what happened today, I will kick _both_ of your assess," she proclaimed, bold. Sasuke barfing on her. Naruto exaggerating to her about Sasuke's death. Ino's pestering and Shisui stalking her. Her night was ruined.

Naruto and Sasuke looked at each, grinning. They were looking forward to the next sparring session now. Shaking his head, Naruto smiled at Sakura and continued, "Guess what? Mikoto said that I can spend the night with Sasuke tonight."

Sakura nodded. Sasuke did need some company just in case he decided to fall again or if he decided to barf again.

"And, you're sleeping in Itachi's room tonight, Sakura-chan!" Naruto's smile never faltered.

"Did you just say something, Naruto?" she asked, raising her brows in confusion and disbelief. She was definitely imagining things, again. There was no way that he said that.

"Why, of course, lovely Sakura-chan, you're sleeping in Itachi's room tonight," a voice called out. She spun around to see Shisui standing by the door. What did he want this time?

Shisui strutted into the room and bowed before he introduced, "We didn't leave on good terms last time, Sakura-chan. Let me introduce myself better this time: Hi, my name's Uchiha Shisui. I'm the cousin to that Uchiha who barfed on you and I'm the cousin of Itachi. Oh, and I'm his best friend _and_ I'm single."

Sakura felt her fist twitch as she exclaimed incredulously, "You're their cousin? You're nothing like them, no offense intended. You're just so…_sociable_." She looked at Sasuke who shrugged, unable to deny their relationship.

"Why, thank you, Sakura-chan. I know that I am quite the handsome one out of us three." He flashed her a charming smile and she instantly thought of Itachi's smirk, hidden in the dark. Her heart stopped for a second or at least, she felt like it did. She told Shisui that it was 'Sakura-san' for him since he didn't know her, but he said that he did know of her. He glanced at Sasuke openly and at that moment, Sakura knew that Sasuke had talked about her more than once.

"Anyways, why am I sleeping here tonight? I understand Naruto staying here, but why must _I_ sleep here? And what about Uchiha-san?" she demanded. She was not going to sleep in the same room with Itachi.

Shisui smiled mysteriously and answered, "Itachi-kun? He doesn't live here. He lives in his own house, Sakura-chan. He's lived in his own house for four years already. So, that means you get his old room. Aren't you lucky, eh?"

Sakura glared at him and he continued, "Which is why I suggested to Mikoto that you should stay here for the night. I mean, it wouldn't be safe for you to go out looking like that, wearing Itachi's clothes. Many females would kill to even have his shirt, Sakura-chan. I'm just looking out for you."

She sighed, knowing that there was reason in his argument. She just didn't feel right doing this though. It was like she was walking in on Itachi's most private area, even if he hadn't lived in there for years. Remembering Itachi, she asked where Itachi was and Shisui told her that he had already left.

"Oh," Sakura simply said before Mikoto came along and urged everyone to go to sleep. It was almost midnight. Shisui wished Sakura a goodnight, teased Sasuke and Naruto, gave Mikoto a kiss on her cheek and disappeared.

* * *

Laying on Itachi's old bed, Sakura could tell that the sheets were fresh. She rolled onto her side, seeing nothing but the darkness. She couldn't even tell what color the wall was painted. She tucked the blanket closer to her body and snuggled into the pillow.

She was intoxicated by this room, by the bed, from the clothes and even from the room. Everything screamed Itachi. Everything smelt like Itachi. She was hesitant to fall asleep. What if he was in her dreams too?

But, for sure, she knew that she'd see him tomorrow in his office. She let out a stressed sigh. Just six more days to go.

* * *

A/N:_ AND_ I am back with another chapter, guys! Thank YOU for all of the reviews. Please, review :)


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